132. The Acting Chief of the Wolf School.
"Vi, wait until..."
Snap
A finger snap.
The faint red soundproof barrier silently vanished, interrupting the Chief's words. The frog croaks around Killer Lake also suddenly ceased. Clearly, while practicing the Ice Spear Spell, the masters did not forget their duties, always keeping an eye on the harmony between the Chief of the Wolf School and the sorcerers.
"Hmm?"
"Is that... is that Allen and the others returning?"
Danthe noticed the black dots on the distant mountain.
He counted the number of dots, looked at Aristo and Vesemir in disbelief, and his face was full of "This is what you meant by not holding back?"
He glanced up at the position of the sun. Judging by the time they returned, it was as if there were no monsters on the trial route they arranged. But that couldn't be right.
Vesemir might have softened up, but someone like Aristo, who valued trials and traditions so much, couldn't possibly be lenient in such an important trial. As Danthe was puzzled, all the Witcher masters, including the Chief, after counting the number of dots, looked suspiciously at Aristo and Vesemir. It wasn't that they didn't want the apprentices to pass the trial.
But for an apprentice who, a month ago, hadn't even mastered swordsmanship to not only pass the trial but to do so without anyone being seriously injured, seemed quite out of the ordinary.
Under the pressure of the group's gaze, Vesemir and Aristo exchanged incredulous looks.
Aristo said seriously, "On this route, Vesemir and I set up two groups of drowners."
"There were at least seventeen, and at most twenty-four, not to mention any other monsters they might have encountered along the way."
"And if they didn't follow the route we marked, unless they swam across Killer Lake, the danger they encountered would only have been more, not less!"
"But swimming across wouldn't have been this fast..."
After hearing this, everyone looked at each other. Twenty drowners for ten apprentices might seem like only two per person. But in reality, with only a month's training, the Witcher apprentices, who still needed to practice signs, swordsmanship, and combat formations, couldn't possibly handle such a precise division of labor. Besides, in the masters' minds, only Hughes and the other two could handle two on their own; the other apprentices might struggle even with one. Even Allen didn't have the skill to take on all twenty drowners by himself.
Aristo had envisioned the best way to pass would be to sneakily take out a few monsters at a time. But that would have taken a long time, and it clearly wasn't the method they used. Considering the potential for other monsters to appear, the difficulty was indeed high enough, and any more would have been deliberately trying to kill these apprentices.
"Stop guessing," the Chief suddenly spoke. "We'll know once Allen and the others return."
The noisy discussion stopped. Soon, the eleven figures approached. Everyone looked them over, astonished to find that aside from two apprentices who looked slightly bruised, most seemed completely unscathed.
Thud Thud
Two gray headless corpses were thrown to the ground, their hideous heads hanging from the belt of the leading Witcher.
"You encountered Foglets too?" Danthe exclaimed.
These creatures were practically Witcher killers. Not only were they agile, but they were also extremely cunning, capable of disguise, deception, and even using a mist-forming spell that made silver swords nearly useless.
Hughes, hearing this, raised his head proudly, facing the astonished crowd, and said loudly: "In this trial, the Wolfpack killed forty-one drowners, two Foglets, and four ghouls..."
"Except for two who were lightly injured, no one died!"
The youthful yet strong voice echoed around Killer Lake.
After recovering from their shock, the Witcher masters began asking questions. When they learned that Allen only dealt with two Foglets and that the drowners and ghouls were taken care of by the apprentices, they first doubted and then tested the swordsmanship of a few apprentices.
Not believing it, they tested everyone's swordsmanship and were shocked to discover that nearly every apprentice's skill level was at the same level as a Witcher after completing their journey.
"This... this... this..."
Danthe stammered as he glanced at Aristo. If it weren't for the evidence in front of them, no Witcher would believe that an apprentice could improve their swordsmanship to the level of a journeyed Witcher in just one month. After all, it took four or five years of travel and real combat for a Witcher to reach this level.
Aristo shook his head, sighed, and said: "It's because of Allen, I only taught them for a few days."
The other Witcher masters, including the Chief, were as shocked as Danthe. However, considering the status of the Child of Miracles, the Chief only felt a brief moment of surprise before saying casually: "Did you all forget about the Witcher's Eye?"
"The Witcher's Eye has this effect?" Danthe exclaimed again.
The Chief was momentarily speechless. The sorceress beside him also pondered whether she needed to update the experiment records again.
As for the instigator, Allen, he hadn't intended to hide it, knowing that such a thing couldn't be hidden. With so many in the Corps, if no one improved, it would have been suspicious. Once someone did improve, the observant would certainly notice. So when Hughes and the others asked him about it earlier, Allen had already given up trying to cover it up. However, as long as he didn't admit it, this matter would remain just a legend.
Not only did it have no negative impact, but it could also increase the cohesion of the Corps members and attract other Witchers. So, following the Chief's lead, Allen didn't explain further.
After some casual "hmmms" and "ahhhs," the Witcher masters wisely refrained from asking more questions. After all, though Allen was young, he was already one of them, a Witcher master. Moreover, this incident, far from harming the School, gave them a bit more confidence in the prophesied future. As for the rest, the Chief and the sorceress surely understood.
-----------
With the initial surprise over the sudden improvement in the Wolfpack's strength passing, the Chief gave his approval, and the Witcher masters accepted that this group of apprentices had successfully passed the Mountain Trial.
What followed was much like what Allen had experienced a month ago: an ancient and wild ceremony, with blood smeared on each apprentice's forehead. But unlike a month ago, Allen was no longer the apprentice reborn with blood. Now, he was the Witcher master smearing blood on his Hunt members, the Chief of the Wolf School's Wolfpack Alliance.
When Allen had finished smearing the last streak of blood, the Chief suddenly asked: "Allen, do you remember what I said back then?"
Allen paused, unsure of what the Chief meant, and could only nod.
"These are your Corps members, so you should be the one to accept them on behalf of the Wolf School!"
The Chief spoke, and before Allen could refuse, he walked away to the edge where the sorceress stood, leaving the Witcher masters in shock.
"On behalf of the Wolf School?"
Allen was stunned. In a blink of an eye, countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Then, he glanced at the Chief and the sorceress smiling together, turned back to the eager eyes of the apprentices, and shouted: "The sun is high, and today, the wolves of Kaer Morhen have new blood."
"Let us bring the good news back to the Old Sea Fortress, light the bonfires, and drink until we drop!"
"Aye! Aye! Aye!"
The Witchers rhythmically patted their chests, echoing with an ancient and wild tune:
"Light the bonfires, and drink until we drop!"
"Light the bonfires, and drink until we drop!"
...…
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133. Messenger Bird.
134. My Little Boy Has Grown Up.
135. Descending the Mountain.
136. Even if the Price is the Life of a Trainee.
137. The Cat School's Caravan.